Summer, The Donna Summer Musical was a big winnter at the Chita Rivera Awards for Broadway and Off-Broadway shows. (Show Photo)
Sergio Trujillo and Ariana DeBose put Summer: The Donna Summer the Musical in the spotlight at the The 2018 Chita Rivera Awards for Broadway and Off-Broadway shows. They won awards for best choreography and outstanding female dancer, respectively, making Summer the only show to win two awards.
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In two other Broadway categories, Carousel and Mean Girls tied for Outstanding Ensemble and Tony Yazbeck won for Outstanding Male Dancer (Prince of Broadway).
In the Off-Broadway categories, outstanding male and female dancer awards went to Robert Fairchild, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, and Monica Bill Barnes, One Night Only, respectively.
The Outstanding Choreography award went to Zach Morris and Jennine Willet for Ghost Light.
The ceremony also included a number of special awards.
Actress, dancer, and choreographer Carmen De Lavallade was honored with the second annual Lifetime Achievement Award and iconic composer John Kander received the Outstanding Contribution to Musical Theater as a Composer Award.
Theater director Harold Prince was presented with the SDC Director Award for Exemplary Collaboration with Choreographers, and Steven Hoggett, who is represented on Broadway this season with Angels in America and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, received the inaugural Douglas and Ethel Watt Critics Choice Award.
Nikki Feirt Atkins (Founder and Producing Artistic Director of American Dance Machine for the 21st Century) and Joe Lanteri (Founder and Executive Director of the New York City Dance Alliance Foundation) produced the awards show, with Patricia Watt and Iris Smith. Lanteri also served as director.
The Chita Rivera Awards celebrate dance and choreographic excellence — past, present and future.
The awards honor the superb achievement of each nominee, while recognizing the talents and passion of every theatrical choreographer and dancer. Additionally, through education and scholarships, the awards are committed to nurturing future generations, and preserving notable dance history.
Nominators considered outstanding choreography, featured dancers and ensembles in shows on Broadway and Off Broadway, and outstanding choreography in film. There are separate Nominating Committees for Broadway, Off Broadway and Film. Broadway winners are selected by the Awarding Committee.
In her own career, Rivera has won two Tony Awards as Best Leading Actress in a Musical and received eight additional Tony nominations. She recently starred in The Visit.
Check out the list of winners below.
| Chita Rivera Theater Awards 2017-2918; Winners in Bold |
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Outstanding Choreography, Broadway Camille A. Brown, Once on This Island Christopher Gattelli, SpongeBob SquarePants Casey Nicholaw, Mean Girls Justin Peck, Carousel Sergio Trujillo, Summer: The Donna Summer Musical Outstanding Ensemble, Broadway Outstanding Male Dancer, Broadway: Outstanding Female Dancer, Broadway Outstanding Choreography, Off-Broadway Outstanding Female Dancer, Off-Broadway Outstanding Male Dancer, Off-Broadway Choreography in Film Documentary Choreography |